Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Florida lawmaker: Castro brothers are "thugocrats"

U.S. Rep. Connie Mack, R-Fla., on Tuesday was named chairman of the House Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere. He said in a statement:

I’m truly honored to be named Chairman of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee and to continue my work on addressing the pressing issues facing the region.
With freedom and free markets under continuous assault by thugocrats like Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez and the Castro Brothers in Cuba, the United States must remain committed to countering the influence of these socialist leaders in the region. We must also work with our allies in the hemisphere to eradicate terrorist organizations like the FARC, keep a watchful eye on the dangerous ties between Russia, Iran, and Venezuela, and build relationships based on our shared goals of freedom, security, and prosperity.
I look forward to working with Chairman Ros-Lehtinen, the other Subcommittee Chairmen, and the entire Committee on improving U.S. foreign policy and preserving freedom around the world.

The incoming Foreign Affairs Committee Chair, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, applauded Mack. She said:
Congressman Mack does not hesitate to call a dictator a dictator, or, as is his preferred term, a “thugocrat.” Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, Evo Morales, and Rafael Correa are all placing democracy under siege in Latin America, and I am happy to have Connie standing up to their tyrannical advances as Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere.
Mack is the great-grandson of Cornelius McGillicuddy, Sr., better known as Connie Mack, the late great baseball player.
The lawmaker's wife is Mary Bono Mack, the former wife of Sonny Bono, who was killed in 1998. She is also a member of Congress.